I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Philippians 4: 8‐9

When I signed up to go on the Blueprint college mission trip to Miami, I would have never guessed the extent to which my faith would be tested.

At the start of the trip, I prayed that somehow we as a missions team would grow closer to God and to each other—and God is faithful. Within hours of being in Miami, we were robbed of our personal items totaling over thousands of dollars in electronics, and priceless items like Bibles, inhalers, and journals. We had heard about the desperate need for Christ in the city and the daily challenges of the community, but now we were faced with having to experience the same pain and sin that the community members experience daily, while also having an obligation to be intentionally on mission. The robbery forced us to make a decision—we could either consider our possessions greater than Christ, or count everything as loss compared to Him. Our faith was tested but we were not struck down, and we were all ready to depend on Christ and complete the work that we were called to do in Miami.

The next days were filled with delighting in God’s grace and resting in His sovereignty. We ran a 5k to support a member of The Brook church who had brain cancer to demonstrate the enduring love of Christ and the deep brotherhood we have as a family. We spent time assisting The Brook and the Rescue Church to help create a welcoming and clean environment, which helps them pour into the community and share the gospel. We also spent two days with Urban Promise Miami, showing love and support to the children in their afterschool program by playing games, helping with homework, and just spending quality time with them. This service, along with cleaning and organizing, helped take a huge burden off of the Urban Promise leadership so that they could have a clean and organized space to advance their mission. We were extremely encouraged by their willingness to give all of themselves to spread Christ’s love and to be a light in the midst of darkness. As we wrapped up the trip, we had to face the reality that our week of hard work did not have power on its own to change Miami; all we could do was to plant seeds alongside our brothers and sisters, with ultimate faith that God will make them grow. But we were encouraged to know that the mission will continue after our departure.

The biggest reward was the realization that mission can be done anywhere; all it takes is being willing to plant seeds in love. We saw that you can be on mission literally in whatever you do—whether that’s passing out letters of encouragement while walking your dog, working three jobs to support an entire community, or preaching the gospel on Sunday to the body of Christ. So, why wait for a trip when we can be on mission right here, right now?

Being a vessel for Christ in Miami was an amazing experience. It truly did allow us to grow closer to Him and to each other, Most of all, the trip showed us that if we have nothing in this world, we have a God who is sufficient for every need and endures through every trial. Knowing this, we can continue in faith to be Christ’s vessel every single day—at home, at school, at work, and everywhere we go.

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If you would like to support the Miami Missions team in recovering their valuables that were stolen, please contact Courtlandt@blueprintchurch.org for more information.